The U.S. State Department was thoroughly scooped on the Bolivian revolt. No hint or word of the impending uprising had come from the U.S. Ambassador, socialite Pierre de Lagarde Boal (rhymes with goal), an elegant career diplomat whose dispatches have unfailingly reflected the views of Bolivian tin-mine owners. From able Norman Armour, Ambassador to Argentina, there had been hints of forthcoming trouble, but since Norman Armour's business is Argentina, they were no more than that. The State Department had no solid, fresh information on which to base judgments on Bolivian affairs.
The Department had burned its fingers by hastening to recognize...